At least two people are dead and 26 are missing after a ferry carrying dozens of migrants sank off the coast of Indonesia, an official said yesterday.
The wooden fishing boat was carrying 89 people when it departed for Malaysia through an unguarded route. It began to leak soon after departing and sunk after being hit by strong waves.
A man and a woman were found dead, while 61 others were rescued and immediately transported to hospitals for treatment. The remaining passengers are still missing.
Photo: AFP / SEARCH AND RESCUE
“We have deployed our personnel to search for the 26 missing victims, but our efforts haven’t been fruitful so far,” local search and rescue team head Ady Pandawa said yesterday, adding that the damaged boat had been evacuated to the nearest port.
The passengers had come from across Indonesia and were seeking work in Malaysia without proper documentation, he added.
“We suspect the number of passengers exceeded the boat capacity, so when the vessel was hit by strong waves, it immediately sank,” he said.
Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries such as construction and agriculture.
Indonesians illegally seeking work in Malaysia often risk dangerous sea crossings, and accidents are common due to bad weather and poor safety measures.
In January six Indonesian women drowned off the coast of Malaysia after their boat capsized during a suspected attempt to enter the country illegally.
One month earlier, 21 Indonesian migrants also died after their boat capsized.
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